Bhubaneswar: The Latin Rite bishops of India are to visit Kandhamal, the epicenter of 2008 anti-Christian pogrom in February 2021, say church authorities. Odisha, Eastern Indian state, will host the plenary assembly of the Conference of Catholic Bishops’ of India (CCBI) at the Jesuit-run Xavier University Bhubaneswar. On the sideline of this event, CCBI bishops are to visit Kandhamal, said Divine Word Archbishop John Barwa of Cuttack-Bhubaneswar.
According to him, the purpose is that bishops would get the firsthand experience to witness the Kandhamal violence that shook the conscience of the nation 11 years ago, quotes MattersIndia.com. During the visit, they would interact with some survivors.
Violence against the Christians of Odisha erupted in Kandhamal district with untold savagery, with Hindu right-wing groups blaming Christians for the August 23, 2008, murder of Hindu leader Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati, despite Maoist rebels claiming the assassination. In preparation for the bi-annual CCBI plenary assembly in 2021, Archbishop Barwa and Father Stephen Alathara, deputy secretary-general, visited Kandhamal and held preliminary meetings with the clergy and nuns in Kandhamal and Bhubaneswar this week, states MattersIndia.com.
More than 100 people were killed, 64,000 displaced, 6000 houses of Christians were burnt and 300 churches, convents and hostels were damaged.
